This invention relates to a treatment for absorbent material that improves the materials' ability to absorb various blood-containing bodily fluids.
A wide variety of disposable absorbent articles for collecting bodily fluids are known in the art. Commercial absorbent articles include diapers, sanitary napkins, training pants, and incontinent care pads, wound dressings, and the like. Disposable products of this type include some functional elements for receiving, absorbing, and retaining fluids. Typically, such absorbent articles have an absorbent core containing cellulosic fibers, for example, wood pulp fluff, polymeric fibers, for example polypropylene or polyethylene, particles of highly absorbent materials, for example, superabsorbents, and an admixture of cellulosic fibers, superabsorbents and/or polymeric fibers. Typically, such articles include a fluid-permeable cover sheet or liner which typically faces the body of the user, an absorbent core or containment layer, and a fluid-impermeable backsheet.
Cover sheet materials are utilized for the transport of bodily fluids into the absorbent core of personal care absorbent articles and, thus, materials used for cover sheet applications must manage distinctly different body excretions, depending upon the application and the product type. Some products must manage fluids, such as urine, while others must manage proteinaceous and viscoelastic fluids, such as menstrual discharge and fecal matter. The management of viscoelastic menstrual discharge by feminine care products such as sanitary pads and napkins is exacerbated due to the variations in composition and rheology over a broad range of elasticity. Fluid management in feminine care applications requires control of absorption of bodily fluids, control of fluid retention in the cover, control of stain size and intensity, control of rewet of fluid back to the surface, and control of the release of fluid to the absorbent core.
There are several factors which influence the flow of liquids in fibrous structures including the geometry of the pore structure in the fabrics, the nature of the solid surface (surface energy, surface charge, etc.), the geometry of the solid surface (surface roughness, grooves, etc.), the chemical/physical treatment of the solid surface, and the chemical nature of the fluid. One problem associated with absorbent articles intended for use in handling fluids comprising blood components such as feminine care products and wound dressings is the tendency of red blood cells to block the pores of the materials used for absorption of fluids in such products. Typical of such porous materials are nonwoven or fibrous web materials. The blockage of the pores of the nonwoven or fibrous web materials by the red blood cells results in a reduction in the fluid intake and the wicking capabilities of such products. In addition, in the case of feminine care products such as sanitary pads and napkins, the blockage of pores of nonwoven materials used therein by red blood cells results in increased staining. In the case of feminine care products comprising superabsorbents, the red blood cells attach themselves to the superabsorbents, resulting in blockage of the superabsorbents and a significant reduction in fluid uptake.
In the case of feminine care products such as sanitary pads and napkins, women have come to expect a high level of performance in terms of comfort and fit, retention of fluid, and minimal staining. Of utmost importance, leakage of fluid from the pad onto undergarments is regarded as totally unacceptable.
Improving the performance of feminine care products continues to be a formidable undertaking, although numerous improvements have been made in both their materials and structures. However, solutions addressing the issues arising from the presence of red blood cells in blood or menses in feminine care products, as well as other absorbent materials for handling blood-containing fluids, have not been satisfactorily implemented. It is apparent that a system which effectively handles red blood cells in a manner which addresses the issues set forth hereinabove will not only improve the distribution of incoming fluids by the absorbent material, but will also reduce the tendency toward premature failures of these absorbent articles.
Methods for separating or removing red blood cells from blood-containing fluids generally fall into two categories, agglutination (agglomeration) in which the red blood cells agglomerate, thereby enabling them to be more readily separated from the remaining fluid component, for example, by filtration; and lysing in which the membranes of the red blood cells are disrupted, resulting in a breaking down or breaking apart of the red blood cells. Agglomeration is known to occur, for example, in the presence of certain antibodies. The ability of gelling agents to increase the viscoelastic properties of biological menses simulant has previously been demonstrated. Furthermore, the ability of red blood cell lysing agents to break down red blood cells in biological menses simulant is known. However, we are unaware of any absorbent material treatments that combine a gelling agent with a red blood cell lysing agent.
There is a need or desire for an absorbent system that can effectively handle red blood cells.